No rush to get hitched in state

Percentage of Coloradans who are hitched drops

Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 12, 2007 at midnight

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Love and marriage don't always go together like a horse and carriage, contrary to the popular Frank Sinatra song.

While scores of starry-eyed couples strolled hand in hand along the 16th Street Mall on Tuesday afternoon, many said they were reluctant to take their relationship to the next level.

A new U.S. Census report reveals that a larger percentage of people in Colorado are holding off on marriage or deciding to forgo tying the knot altogether.

"I think people are discouraged by the high divorce rate," said 19-year-old Codi Abraham, of Denver.

"My mom and dad divorced, and now they hate each other," said her boyfriend, Stefan Malata, 20.

From 2000 to 2006, the figures for Coloradans 15 and older who were married dropped from 55.6 percent to 52.9 percent.

National figures showed an even bigger drop, from 54.4 percent to 50.4 percent over the same time period.

State demographer Elizabeth Garner said her office has noticed the trend the past couple of years.

"It's notable because it affects household size," she said. "If you have more one-person housing units, you're going to need more housing."

She said other factors were influencing the size of Colorado households, including baby boomers switching to smaller dwellings as children leave home.

Conversely, the increase in foreign-born residents has led to an increase in household sizes, said Garner.

Several couples said they lived in the same household, and preferred that as an alternative to marriage.

"Most of my friends are living together. They're not in any big hurry to get married," said Cori Castrop, 24, of Denver.

Sandra Ruiz, of Thornton, said she and her boyfriend were doing the "smart thing" by living together before marriage.

"I think people are realizing that marriage is too big a commitment to take lightly. You want to make sure you're totally compatible before you get hitched," said the 23-year-old telephone customer service representative.

Others had different reasons for holding off on their wedding vows.

Steve Bushnell, of Lakewood, said he prefers the sporting life over marriage.

"I think people in Colorado might be waiting before they get married because this is such an active state. There's so much to do," said Bushnell, 36. "Once you get married, you have kids and you lose all that time and freedom to do all the things you want to do."

Diana Boyles, 27, of Golden, said marriage has simply lost some of its significance.

"People don't put as much weight on marriage as they used to," she said. "It doesn't mean as much."

After thinking it over, some, like Desiree Glover and Tamas Kafka, of Colorado Springs, said they see themselves eventually marching down the aisle.

"We've talked about it," said Glover, 20, who met her boyfriend at the historic Broadmoor Hotel, where they both work.

"I think we'd like to marry at some point," said Kafka, 22. "But there's no rush."

County Married in 2000 Married 2006

Adams 56.1% 53.9%

Arapahoe 55.4% 52.2%

Boulder 52.1% 48.8%

Denver 43.2% 42.4%

Douglas 73.3% 68.0%

Jefferson 58.2% 54.8%